Clovis man faces murder charge

A 30-year-old Clovis man faces an open count of murder, accused of beating a maintenance man to death at an apartment near West Seventh Street and Martin Luther King Boulevard.

Dustin Forni was charged Jan. 31 with the death of Mark Leinberger, 48, according to a report released Tuesday by Clovis police.

According to reports:

• Leinberger was discovered unconscious by a friend on Oct. 16 inside a camper parked at a small apartment complex at 2120 W. Seventh St.

• Forni approached the friend and said Leinberger was in his apartment drinking the night before and “just fell face forward and busted his mouth open.”

• Later the same day, another witness told Leinberger’s friend that Forni had shown up at his apartment the night before and was “freaking out.” Forni asked the witness to help him move the unconscious Leinberger from his apartment to the camper, which he did.

• Leinberger was unresponsive and the friend called police. Leinberger was taken to Plains Regional Medical Center and was transferred to Covenant Medical Center in Lubbock. He died Oct. 29 in Lubbock after doctors removed life support.

• On. Jan. 30, the state Office of Medical Investigations determined Leinberger died of blunt force trauma to the head “and the manner of death was homicide.” The next day, Forni, who was already in Curry County jail on an unrelated charge, was booked on a charge of open murder, burglary, tampering with evidence and intimidation of a witness.